Thank you guys so much for all the great feedback yesterday…I’m sure this is going to be a very interesting season with a lot of good discussions about who is going to win!

Now I give you the lower half of the list – those I don’t see faring quite as well this season. I really did struggle with several of these, because we have some definite “wild cards” this season that could go either way – again, it should be intersting to see who sinks and who swims

7.) Buzz Aldrin & Ashly Delgrosso – I think it’s a safe bet to say that Buzz has cornered the “senior citizen” vote this season – much like Tom DeLay did last season & Cloris did in season 7. This is a really good thing – I think a certain degree of respect comes when you’re the “old dog” in the competition, and people want to see you do well to prove that young age doesn’t always equate skill. And unlike the dubious fame of Tom DeLay or the loose cannon that was Cloris Leachman – Buzz is a living legend: a NASA astronaut, the 2nd man to set foot on the moon, and a highly decorated military officer. People LIKE him, and could very well keep him around for a little while even if he isn’t particularly good. Ashly may also garner quite a bit of support since she has been absent since season 3, and had been a favorite for the first 3 seasons of the show – and I’m sure Utah is behind her as well, as the Delgrosso family is basically a dancing dynasty there and is extremely well-respected. But there is one big concern, and it’s one that does seem to plague some of the “older” contestants: injury. We can see how it sidelined Tom last season (I think he actually would have stuck around for another week or so had he not withdrawn), and hindered the Woz in season 8. I hope that Buzz can dodge that hurdle and stay in the competition and be voted out, rather than having to drop out.

8.) Shannen Doherty & Mark Ballas – I’m sure I’m going to spark another debate with this one, but as I mentioned as comment on part 1, I think Shannen is going to have some demographical voting issues – voting issues stemming from her reputation as a bit of a “witch” John brought up a good point – Shannen is well-known for her TV roles as Brenda on 90210 and Prue on Charmed (and also to some degree her role in the movie Heathers); however, what some people may not remember is that she left both shows unceremoniously, due mainly to tensions with producers & co-stars. She also had brief, tumultuous marriages to both Ashley Hamilton (remember him? First guy voted off last season?) and Rick Salomon (who also co-starred in a sex tape with a certain blonde heiress, and ironically was also married to Pam Anderson for a few months back in ’07 – wow, I could totally play “Six Degrees of DWTS” this season!), and both ended in very messy, very public break-ups. There was also a DUI thrown in there somewhere, all which adds up to Shannen’s infamy as a bit of a bad girl. My point? Female viewers tend not to like pretty women of questionable virtue (sort of ties into my Pretty Girl Backlash Theory), and thus don’t vote for them. Granted, Shannen could be the greatest dancer on the show this season; but that doesn’t mean she’s going to get votes week after week. I also fear that Mark’s sometimes overbearing nature might clash with Shannen’s obviously “strong” personality – these two could be the second coming of Debi vs. Maks. I don’t see them going home the first week; but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were in the bottom 3, due to what I’ve mentioned above…it may take some time for the female viewing audience to really “warm up” to Shannen L

9.) Aiden Turner & Edyta Sliwinska – I may have had the hardest time placing this couple, next to my struggles with Jake & Chelsie. On one hand, Aiden is a hunky soap star that likely has quite a following from his role on All My Children; on the other hand, he isn’t as well-known and hasn’t been on the show as long as Susan Lucci or Cameron Mathison, and doesn’t have an additional “claim to fame” like General Hospital Playmate Kelly Monaco. Having Edyta as his partner could also be both a blessing and a curse – she’s a fan favorite (due to her tenure on all 10 seasons of the show), but also seems prone to having some boring choreography and a history of early eliminations. In the end, my pessimistic side wins out – I think Aiden’s name might be the least well-known of this season’s celebs at first glance (even I had to look him up, and I have been known to watch AMC on occasion!), and in the few practice sessions I’ve seen of he & Edyta, he looks like he could be a bit of an awkward mover. Aiden, please, prove me wrong – we need another cute guy to stick around to put doofy Jake in his place!

10.) Kate Gosselin & Tony Dovolani – I solemnly swear I am going to make an honest effort to try and give Kate a chance this season – however, I’m not sure America is going to be willing to do the same. Many have (understandably) questioned Kate’s choice to undertake such a big time commitment while being the primary custodian of 8 kids, and amid the media firestorm surrounding her divorce. And while Kate comes out as more of the “victim” in her situation with Jon – some cite her volatile temper in episodes of Jon & Kate Plus 8 prior to the divorce as a possible contributing factor for it. In other words – Kate may be dealing with the same “witch” syndrome as Shannen. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: female viewers do not like mean girls. Granted, she’s a mean girl with kids and a smarmy ex-husband – but a mean girl nonetheless. There are already rumors swirling about her “diva-like” behavior on-set (although I don’t know that I fully believe it, there may be some partial truth to it). I don’t know that Tony is going to be much of a help either – his support seems to run hot & cold, depending on who he is dancing with. But Kate is allegedly in pretty good shape, and does quite a bit of running & yoga, so she might not be half-bad…I think viewers may keep her around for a week or two just to see how she fares – but will ultimately tire of her.

11.) Pamela Anderson & Damian Whitehood – This is probably going to come as the biggest shocker for many of you who said that Pam may be the “big surprise” this season – but before you crucify me, hear me out I totally agree that Pam may be one of the better dancers this season – I really & truly would love to see her do well. But I think the deck could not be stacked against her more with the female viewing audience – she’s a textbook example of my “Pretty Girl Backlash Theory”: female viewers feel jealous and/or threatened by attractive women (especially overtly sexy ones with questionable reputations) and hence, do not vote. They find reasons to dislike their dancing in order to justify their animosity – it’s unfortunate, but true. Women are CATTY. And I think Pam unfortunately has enough scandal under her belt to add fuel to the fire – she’s appeared in Playboy multiple times (and I’m sure many viewers’ husbands have salivated over those pictures); she has not one, but TWO sex tapes (you can see what good it did for Kim Kardashian only having one!); a string of failed marriages to ahem, “questionable” men (Tommy Lee, Kid Rock, and Rick Salomon); and a wardrobe of rather suggestive ensembles. While I personally couldn’t care less about all of it – I doubt it will sit well with some of the more conservative viewing audience. Her charity work with PETA and the American Liver Foundation is somewhat redeeming, but I’m afraid it’s often overlooked in favor of her more scandalous activities. She also has a disadvantage in having a new pro – he has no fan base yet. Unless Pam proves to be the best dancer this season and starts knocking perfect 10s outta the park every week – I just don’t see her sticking around for long L

Alright, my predictions for the season are officially made…I’m excited to see how things pan out, and I really hope I’m proved wrong on some of these. I certainly was last season! Now let’s here some more good debates from you guys: who do you think will be the first to go?

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble. Check out some of my other work at pureamericasgottalent.com!

6 responses to "DWTS10 Preliminary Power Rankings, Part II"

I’m never right about any predictions, I just want to say I hope Kate is first to go. I like everyone else on the show this season (minus Jake cause I don’t watch Bachelor and know nothing about him) except her. Once she’s gone, I’ll be much happier.

Courtney: Thanks for the rankings…I especially liked your stance on Pam. I hadn’t given it much thought but the points you brought up really made sense to me and I thank you for those great observances. Damian is probably going to be a bit of a hinderance to her advancement, at least initially when no one really knows what to think of him and many feeling sore about him seemingly getting Dmitry’s spot.

I honestly hadn’t given Pam much thought but if it comes down to keeping her over Kate, my votes are going to go to Pam! I just don’t care for Kate and I think her running around lately proclaiming that she’s winning this competition is really immature and indulgent. I think this season no one is guaranteed a win. There seems to be many promising prospects and I’m more than grateful for that, since after last season I’ve been praying for an “All-star’s” version so we could actually see some great dancing! My hopes are high.

I agree with your top two but I think the third spot may go to Chad and Cheryl. I AM hoping to see some great things from Erin and Maks this season. It’d be great to see him excited about the possibility of winning again. So, I’d be thrilled to see him get to the finals if that’s how it all happens to fall.

I think Pam will last longer than you think. I know quite a few DWTS hating men who are suddenly planning on watching this season simply for Pam. I think the males votes might just save her for a few weeks.

Preseason power rankings w/ Pros & Cons:
Evan and Anna
Pros—newly crowned Olympic Gold medalist–his to lose. Has a technical edge gained from his sport?
Cons—possibly bland personality, ringer status backlash
Nicole and Derek
Pros—Dance Experience, beautiful girl will make for a hot couple on the dance floor
Cons—Ringer label backlash, nerves
Chad and Cheryl
Pros—Football fans, good looking, outgoing personality
Cons—perhaps too much personality
Erin and Maks
Pros—3 years on a college dance squad, dancing all her life, beautiful girl w/high sympathy factor re: stalker ordeal
Cons—Ridiculous claims that since she was a victim she shouldn’t wear skimpy costumes
Pam and Damian
Pros—Experience in high heels and skimpy costumes. She isn’t one bit shy or easily embarrassed.
Cons—her rep might be a turn off to largely female voters.
Shannen and Mark
Pros—beautiful, 90210/Charmed fan base & reportedly a good dancer with a good story, ailing father.
Cons—bad girl rep, looks fragile to me
Buzz and Ashly
Pros– He is BUZZ FREAKIN’ ALDRIN! He has a great sense of humor and can deliver a heck of a pitch as to why people should vote for him!
Cons—He is EIGHTY!
Kate and Tony
Pros- attractive working mom doing it “for the kids”, has created the most buzz, possible sympathy votes because of all the bad press she has gotten that some feel is unfair.
Cons—bad press, famewhore label
Jake and Chelsie
Pros—just off starring in a hit reality show, partnered with the adorable Chelsie
Cons—not considered a real star, His “choice” proved to be unpopular with viewers
Aiden and Edyta
Pros—very good looking man with soap fan base. Might be able to sizzle w/partner
Cons—known only for work on soap & no longer in the cast. Looked a little stiff in rehearsal footage
Niecy and Louis
Pros—could benefit from a “Kelly effect/Cinderella storyline”
Cons—she isn’t Kelly, her voice is irritating

Courtney, check Tony’s twitter – he’s already pimping Erin Andrews along with his “Kate did great today”. Geez, dude, I know Maks is your brother and all, but can you wait to pimp the competition until after you’re voted off??

As for women not liking beautiful women – I think that’s mostly a fallacy. And I saw that as a woman. I think what women DON’T like is not that they’re beautiful, but if they either know they are beautiful and act it, or if they have questionable behavior on their resume – like Pam does. I think it’s more about some voters being conservative than it is about them being jealous. At least, that is my hope. I don’t like that female stereotyping.

Anyway – the REAL test will be in week three when they’ve only had a week or less to learn the dance. These first two dances won’t be as indicative of how the competition will stack up. Unless someone really sucks.